hole up

holed up; holing up; holes up

Definition of hole up

intransitive verb

: to hide out in or as if in a hole or cave

transitive verb

: to place in or as if in a refuge or hiding place

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about hole up

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Examples of hole up in a Sentence

we'll hole up in the cellar and wait out the hurricane

Recent Examples on the Web Upon appointment, Zhu spent three days holed up in the city’s police command, vowing to tighten the government’s grip. — Washington Post, "The man behind China’s detention of 1 million Muslims," 24 Nov. 2019 Protesters have been barricaded inside the fortress-like campus, stockpiling Molotov cocktails and other weapons, since last week after an escalation in the unrest prompted students to hole up in several universities. — Time Staff, Time, "Hong Kong Police Storm University Campus Occupied by Protesters as Courts Overturn Mask Ban," 18 Nov. 2019 Though his decision to hole up with a tiger in his New York apartment was certainly unusual, Yates is not alone in his efforts to acquire one of the animals. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "A Farewell to Ming, the Siberian-Bengal Tiger Who Spent Three Years in a Harlem Apartment," 7 Oct. 2019 We were being bombarded by media telling us to hole up, hunker down and hang in. — Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, "Home decor: How to make your own placemats," 10 Sep. 2019 Police later got a search warrant for the house where Rodriguez had been holed up, which is listed as Rodriguez's residence in police documents. — Dallas News, "Murder suspect shot neighbor who spoke to officers after Pleasant Grove slaying, police say," 21 Aug. 2019 Eric Gripp of the Philadelphia Police Department said on Twitter that two officers who had been inside the house had been safely evacuated, but that the gunman remained holed up. — Jon Hurdle, New York Times, "Philadelphia Police Shootings Suspect Surrenders After Nightlong Standoff," 14 Aug. 2019 The blast, which occurred just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, kept the tanks and nearby vegetation burning for several hours and prompted a shelter-in-place alert that kept nearby communities holed up inside their homes. — Megan Cassidy, SFChronicle.com, "Contra Costa explosion: It could have been worse," 16 Oct. 2019 Netanyahu remained holed up at his official residence in Jerusalem past midnight, as supporters awaited him at a campaign event in Tel Aviv. — Washington Post, "Israel’s Netanyahu appears to suffer setback in exit polls," 17 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hole up.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

30 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Hole up.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holes%20up. Accessed 13 December 2019.

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